The Houston Texans are weighing whether to keep Romeo Crennel as the club's head coach through the 2021 campaign, according to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Crennel was elevated to interim head coach following Bill O'Brien's firing on Oct. 5, leading the team to a 2-2 record following an 0-4 start. Crennel is well-liked in the building, and Rapoport reports Houston could keep the arrangement intact through next season, which would then allow the club to conduct a traditional coaching search for 2022 and beyond. It would also allow VP of football operations Jack Easterby to retain power through a full off-season at least.
For the Texans, he could serve as a stop-gap coach, allowing the team to get to 2021 with some stability and pushing their true coaching search to the following offseason when COVID-19 restrictions would allow for a traditional in-person search.
At 73, Crennel is already the oldest head coach in NFL history, so it's unlikely the team would view him as a long-term solution for the job.
This would not be the first time Crennel used an impressive run as an interim head coach into a season-long gig. He went 2-1 as the Chiefs' interim in 2011 and was retained for the 2012 campaign, but let go after the club posted a 2-14 record. He was also the Browns' head coach from 2005-08, going 24-40.
Crennel has been a member of five Super Bowl teams with the Giants and Patriots.
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